A warning on cholesterol and triglycerides

By Herbert Vego

YOU may find this narrative beneficial.

I never ate mammal meat during the Holy Week, but not for religious reasons. I still don’t. My sister Azucena, a physician, has asked me to further avoid high-fat and processed meats.

My latest laboratory examination showed a very high level of triglycerides (excessive fat in the blood) that could lead to diseases of the kidney, heart, and pancreas.

I had been a semi-vegetarian before; I could resume being one by restricting my meals to fish, vegetables, low-fructose fruits, and low-carb grains.

I am a victim of atherosclerosis and calcification of the aorta, the main artery acting as the primary conduit for oxygen-rich blood to travel from the heart to the rest of the body.

Aortic atherosclerosis is a progressive, often silent condition involving the buildup of plaque — fat, cholesterol, and calcium.

Aortic calcification is the buildup of calcium in the walls of the aorta, making it stiff, rigid, and less flexible. It is a sign of underlying vascular damage, often linked to aging. It can lead to reduced blood flow, hypertension, aneurysm, and death.

I had already spent a fortune on prescription drugs as well as on “stem cell” capsules.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), incidentally, issued a Public Health Warning in 2018 (Advisory No. 2018-192) against the unapproved and misleading advertisements of Purtier Deer Placenta Plus. “Live” stem cells cannot survive in oral capsules.

Thus, I spent the Holy Week researching natural ways and means to win back my good health.

Studies in the 1970s showed that Greenland Eskimos had a lower rate of heart disease than did other individuals living in Greenland at the same time. Analysis of dietary differences between the groups showed that the Eskimos ate less saturated fat and more omega-3 fatty acids found in fish, whale, and seal meat.

Researchers since then have supported the heart-healthy benefits of eating fish. If you can’t dine with the Eskimos, look for good sources of omega-3 fatty acids like flaxseed, walnuts, olive oil, and soybean oil, which are noted for lowering blood cholesterol and reducing blood pressure and the risk of blood clots.

Nutrition vloggers — most of whom are doctors — recommend at least two weekly servings of fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, preferably mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna, and salmon.

To increase HDL (“good”) cholesterol, focus on consuming healthy fats, high-fiber foods, and antioxidant-rich produce. Top choices include avocados, olive oil, fatty fish (salmon, mackerel), nuts, seeds, and berries.

Because it is their choice for managing high triglycerides, oatmeal has become my favorite breakfast food, along with fresh fruits that contain soluble fiber, which reduces low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad” cholesterol. Soluble fiber — which is also found in such foods as kidney beans, mongo sprouts, apples, pears, and prunes — reduces the absorption of cholesterol in the intestines.

Five to 10 grams of soluble fiber a day decreases LDL cholesterol by about five percent. Eating 1.5 cups of cooked oatmeal provides 4.5 grams of fiber.

Since all nuts are high in calories, only a handful is recommended. Eating too much can cause weight gain, and being overweight places us at higher risk of heart disease.

Also of paramount nutritional value are foods fortified with plant sterols — substances found in plants that help block the absorption of cholesterol.

Juices fortified with plant sterols can help reduce LDL cholesterol by more than 10 percent. The amount of daily plant sterols needed for results is at least 2 grams — which equals about two 8-ounce servings of plant sterol-fortified orange juice a day.

To summarize, the first step for a heart-healthy diet is to eliminate bad fats. The second is to eat cholesterol-lowering foodstuffs.

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No deterrent to more power response
THE observance of the Holy Week did not prevent a team of MORE Power linemen from “standing by” to respond to sudden emergencies like power failures and equipment disorders.

Fortunately, thanks to pre-Holy Week inspections, the company’s “line warriors” had by then discovered and eliminated faults in the system.